Chelsea had gone five Premier League matches without keeping a clean sheet, and until Friday night in west London they had at least been able to outscore the problem. At the Gtech Community Stadium, without João Pedro, they could not do either. Brentford won 3-0 through Jaidon Anthony’s 61st-minute header, Igor Thiago’s finish seven minutes from time and Fábio Carvalho’s tap-in in the fourth minute of stoppage time — Chelsea’s first goalless performance of the season, and their heaviest defeat under Xabi Alonso.
It was the first Premier League match this season Chelsea have played without their Brazilian striker, who sprained knee ligaments during the 2-2 draw with Hull City on 12 September and is expected to be out for around three and a half weeks. The correlation was not subtle: four league games with João Pedro produced 10 goals and two wins. The one without him produced none.
A defence that has not held anyone out since last season
The raw numbers are unflattering to the point of alarm. Chelsea have conceded 12 goals in five Premier League matches — more than any other side in the division — and have shipped at least two in every league game under Alonso. They have now gone 22 consecutive Premier League fixtures without a clean sheet, conceding 2.2 non-penalty goals per game across that run and allowing roughly 10 shots per match inside their own box.
Set pieces remain the open wound. Anthony’s opener came from a left-sided corner, flicked on at the near post by Jannik Schuster and nodded in at the back. Brentford midfielder Vitaly Janelt admitted afterwards that the Bees had “targeted that” at half-time. Chelsea have now conceded 23 set-piece goals since the start of last season, joint-worst in the Premier League.
Alonso, appointed on a four-year contract in the summer, did not reach for mitigation. Chelsea, he said, were “out of control”, and “bullied in set pieces”. He went further: “It was not just set-pieces. It was also in defensive duels, in the build-up, in controlling games.” And, most tellingly: “You need to feel it. We’re not feeling it.”
The absence of Moisés Caicedo from the base of midfield left Chelsea unable to slow Brentford’s transitions — Thiago’s goal arrived after Mikkel Damsgaard released Kevin Schade behind the back line and Emiliano Martínez could only parry. Jordan Henderson, making his first Premier League appearance since signing, and Valentín Barco both worked hard in the first half. Neither could stop the second one collapsing.
What João Pedro was actually doing
His numbers explain why his absence registered so immediately. Three goals and three assists in four Premier League appearances left him joint-top of the division in both columns, and he recorded a goal and an assist in three of those four matches — including the 66th-minute equaliser against Hull, set up by Cole Palmer, that rescued a point.
He was also the reason Chelsea kept starting fast. They opened the scoring in each of their first four league games of the season for the first time since 2021-22, every goal inside seven minutes. Against Brentford, with Danny Welbeck leading the line and unable to replicate the link play, Chelsea managed nothing of the sort. Alonso had spoken warmly of the striker before the injury: “He has moved on from the summer, he has moved on from the World Cup. He has shown this desire, determination to have a great season so far.”
Three weeks to fix it — or at least to start
The scale of the defensive problem is historically unusual for this club. Conceding twice or more in each of the first four league games of a campaign had not happened to Chelsea since 2015-16, a season that ended with a manager sacked in December and a 10th-place finish. Five points from a possible nine before this defeat had disguised it; 0-3 at the Gtech did not.
Chelsea sit sixth on seven points from five matches, having also beaten Fulham 3-2 and Brighton 4-3 and put six past Leeds United in the EFL Cup. That is a team scoring freely and defending like one that has not yet decided how. The extended international break now gives Alonso three weeks on the training ground before Bournemouth visit on 10 October — the date João Pedro is expected back, with the trip to Everton on 17 October the fallback.
Tottenham and Manchester United follow at Stamford Bridge in late October. Alonso has until then to make his side harder to score against, because the alternative — waiting for one striker’s knee to heal and hoping to win 4-3 every week — is not a plan. It is a symptom.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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